Hampton councilman says he was extorted out of $5,000 after visit to prostitute

Aug 04, 2023

HAMPTON — A Hampton City Councilman’s visit to a prostitute early last year led to him being extorted out of $5,000, according to court documents filed against the man accused of swindling him.

In January 2022, Councilman Chris Bowman paid a woman $200 for oral sex at a Newport News hotel room, a criminal complaint said. But when he returned to his car, he found several items were missing — including his personal cellphone.

A man called Bowman a week later saying he had his phone, demanding “increasing amounts of money” for its return, according to the complaint. They finally met outside a Hampton hospital on March 22, 2022. But when Bowman handed over an envelope containing $5,000 in cash, the man fled with the money without giving him the phone.

Michael Eugene Brown II, of Hampton, was arrested more than a year later — on June 17 — on a felony extortion charge. He’s accused of threatening to injure Bowman’s “character, person or property,” and making off with his money. Brown, 33, faces up to 10 years behind bars, with a probable cause hearing set for Oct. 30 in Hampton General District Court.

Bowman — first elected in 2020 to a four-year term on the City Council — said he believes the prostitute and Brown were “co-conspirators” in swindling him. He said he didn’t know if the extortion was random or whether he was targeted.

The councilman said he was “somewhat shocked” to get a call from a reporter asking about the case, saying he’s ashamed to have the information come out now.

“Obviously, I’m embarrassed,” Bowman said when reached Thursday. “It was poor judgment.”

Bowman, 69, said he didn’t think he was named in the court documents filed in Brown’s case.

“I thought it was resolved, being extorted,” he said. “I thought the situation was over and resolved.”

Though Bowman is identified only as “Mr. C.B.” throughout the May 2023 criminal complaint, his date of birth in 1953 is listed. Moreover, the related arrest warrant names the extortion victim as “Christopher Bowman.” (It’s typical for crime victims to be named on such warrants since defendants have the right to confront their accusers).

Bowman’s attorney, Carter Phillips, released a statement to the Daily Press and Virginian-Pilot Friday, saying Bowman “apologizes to the citizens of Hampton for this one-time lapse in judgement.”

“He’s very remorseful about this incident,” Phillips said. “It is something that happened a year ago, if not longer. Nothing like this has happened since, and nothing like it will ever happen again.”

Bowman was not charged with any crime.

Newport News police spokesperson Kelly King said there was an investigation into the prostitution case at the time, “but there was not enough evidence for charges” against the councilman.

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The criminal investigation began April 1, 2022, when Bowman went to the Hampton Police Division to report the extortion. That was 10 days after the man made off with his $5,000.

Bowman told a detective he met the prostitute on a website, SkipTheGames.com — which offers “escorts” in various cities. He and the woman met in January 2022 in a room at the Hampton Inn, off Victory Boulevard near Kiln Creek in Newport News, the criminal complaint said.

Bowman said this week that he wasn’t sure how his phone was taken, as his car didn’t appear broken into and he believed he had locked the doors. The phone wasn’t password protected, he said.

After the theft, the complaint said, a man Bowman didn’t know began calling and texting him, saying he had found his phone. Bowman “began engaging with the subject for the return of his phone in exchange for a reward,” according to the complaint, filed by Hampton Police Detective Steven L. Cooke.

The criminal complaint wasn’t clear on whether Bowman had gotten a replacement phone by then, or if the man reached him on an alternate phone or other messaging system.

But the demands “escalated,” with the man wanting “increasing amounts of money” for the phone’s return. If Bowman didn’t pay, the complaint said, the man threatened to divulge the phone’s contents, which the councilman “felt would cause harm to his character and reputation.”

Bowman said Thursday he had personal information on his unlocked phone that made him willing to pay to get it back.

“It was a personal phone that had personal conversations that obviously I didn’t want to get out, like anyone has on a private phone,” Bowman said. He said there were no pictures on the phone that caused him concern.

The men arranged to meet at the Hampton Sentara CarePlex Hospital in the Coliseum area, with the understanding that Bowman would pay $5,000 to get his phone.

But after Bowman handed over an envelope filled with cash, the man told him “that he did not have his mobile phone,” the complaint said. The man then left with the money, got into an older model black Chevrolet Caprice Classic and drove off.

The sedan, with South Dakota plates, “was followed” out of the parking lot, ending up at a BayPort Credit Union off Oyster Point Road in Newport News, the complaint said.

A Hampton detective watched surveillance footage from the credit union. That, the complaint said, led to Brown being identified as the extortion suspect, though it’s unclear how police made that determination.

Hampton police spokesperson Sgt. Ashley Jenrette did not immediately provide a response Friday on why it took more than a year for detectives to charge and arrest Brown. But she said police also have an outstanding arrest warrant for a 24-year-old Hampton woman, Jasmiah Scarlett, on one count of extortion in the case.

Brown’s attorney, Hampton Chief Deputy Public Defender Dave Anderson, would not comment, saying only that the Suffolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office is handling the matter. Suffolk Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Sean Mitchell, who is prosecuting the case, declined to comment.

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Bowman told the Daily Press he was unaware soliciting a prostitute was a Class 1 Misdemeanor in Virginia — punishable by up to a year in jail — when he agreed to meet with the prostitute. But Bowman said the woman reached out to him.

“She solicited me,” he said.

Misdemeanors carry a one-year statute of limitations in Virginia, so the deadline for charging Bowman passed in January.

Since the police got involved, Bowman has his phone back but not the $5,000.

The councilman, whose city salary is $23,000 for the post, worked in state government for 32 years — mostly in the mental health field — before retirement. He’s a former director of operations at Eastern State Hospital, has held director level positions at Virginia Peninsula Community College and has served on numerous community boards and commissions.

According to the city’s website, Bowman is a licensed nursing home administrator and has held a past certification as a court appointed mediator.

The councilman said his family is aware of the issue.

“They are very concerned about the impact on my political career and personal career,” Bowman said.

Phillips is handling Bowman’s divorce case, but it’s a no-fault divorce “that has nothing to do with this situation,” the attorney said. “He’s an excellent councilman and a great human being,” Phillips said.

As of Thursday, Bowman said he had not told his city council colleagues or City Manager Mary Bunting about the situation.

“I considered it a personal matter,” he said.

Bunting, who was on vacation Friday, could not be reached for comment.

Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck declined to comment on whether he had any knowledge of the matter or if he thought the council would take any action against Bowman.

Peter Dujardin, 757-247-4749, [email protected]

Josh Janney, [email protected].

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